1st Year (Up to 23 university credits)

Welcome to your first year in York Psychology! This page is designed to guide you through your first year course selection. The following information is for students coming into the program out of high school, or with no prior university education. Transfer students will find important information at the end of the page concerning credits and requirements.

A full course load at York is 30 credits per year - 5 full year (6 credit) courses or a combination of full year and one term (3 credit) courses. However, it is not uncommon to take fewer courses, especially if you are coming to York directly out of high school. The first year Psychology requirement is the same for BA and BSc students in all Psychology programs. The rest of the first year differs, so follow the link for your program.

Required: PSYC 1010 (6 credits) - Introduction to Psychology

This course provides a basic introduction to each of the major sub-disciplines within Psychology exposing you both to the historical roots and to some of most important current trends in each area. Everyone must complete this course with a grade of C or better to continue as a Psychology major. No other Psychology courses are typically taken until this requirement is fulfilled (please note that, of particular relevance to transfer students, you can enroll in PSYC 2021 concurrently). Should you fail to get a C in this course, you have the option of repeating it twice and you will not be admitted to any additional Psychology courses (with the possible exception of PSYC 2021) until you have met the C requirement. We strongly advise you to devote a lot of time and effort in your first year to making sure you succeed in Psychology 1010, and to seek help early in the year if you are having difficulty.

The URPP gives students the opportunity to earn up to 4% toward their PSYC 1010 grade. Specifically, students can earn 4% by participating in 6 hours of research, with students in full year sections of 1010 completing 3 hours in the fall and 3 in the winter. Visit URPP website for more information.

We strongly suggest that you complete your General Education requirements during your first year if possible. To find out which courses are approved to meet the General Education requirement for your program, please visit the Faculty of Health General Education Requirements webpage. Students in the any of our BA programs must complete a minimum of 18.0 General Education credits in total, which includes 6.0 credits at the 1000-level in each of:

(1) Natural Sciences (NATS).Six credits at the 1000 level in natural science (NATS) offered by the Faculty of Science.

(2) Humanities (HUMA).Six credits at the 1000 level in approved Faculty of Health general education or humanities categories approved by the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. These come from a wide range of programs including Canadian Studies, English, Humanities etc. There is also a Writing course (AP/WRIT17009.0) for those with a particular interest in improving their writing. If English is not your first language and you aren’t fully comfortable yet studying in English, consider taking one of the ESL courses on the approved course list to fulfill this requirement. You must get special permission to register in these courses. HUMA Gen Ed courses are either 6credit or 9 credit courses –while you only need 6 HUMA credits, you are permitted to take a 9 credit course if you wish –the other 3 credits count as part of your electives.The two Health Gen Eds (see below) can be used to meet the HUMA Gen Ed requirement.

(3) Social Sciences (SOSC).Six credits at the 1000 level in approved Faculty of Health general education or social science categories approved by the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. The Social Sciences group includes courses in Gender & Women’s Studies (WMST), Human Rights and Equity Studies (HREQ), Modes of Reasoning (MODR), and Social Sciences (SOSC). Again you need 6 credits, but many of the courses are 9 credit courses; the remaining 3 credits will count toward your electives. The two Health Gen Eds(see below) can be used to meet the SOSC Gen Ed requirement.

Health Gen Eds – the Faculty of Health now offers two General Education courses (HH.HLST19006.0Uncovering the Body: Interdisciplinary Perspectives; HH/IHST 10206.0Agents o fChange in a Global World). These courses may be used to fulfill either the HUMA or the SOSC General Education requirement.

While our regulations state that you must complete your General Education (Gen Ed) courses within the first 54 credits, we strongly recommend that BA students do all their Gen Eds in the first year if possible. Many of these courses include extensive writing experience, which will be valuable preparation for your later courses in Psychology. Depending on whether you select 6 or 9 credit courses, you may have room to include additional electives in your course load as well.Electives may be taken in any Faculty and Department at York that is willing to admit you to their courses (space limitations mean that in many courses, there are very few seats available for non-majors). First year electives are usually taken from 1000 (or sometimes 2000) level courses, since most programs require the completion of prerequisites before you can take higher level courses

BSc Students – 1000-level Science and General Education

BSc students need to consider their first two years when they plan their first year courses.

All BSc degrees at York require 15.0 credits of basic science requirements.

1) 6 credits of SC/MATH –there are several math courses to choose from but many Psychology Majors choose MATH 1505 (6cr) –Mathematics for Life and Social Sciences,as this course is most geared to the needs of life science majors, including Psychology. You must complete this course before you can fulfill the computer science requirement (#3 below) so we strongly recommend you take MATH in your first year.

2) 6 credits from Biology, Chemistry and/or Physics. The Biology and Chemistry departments offer a sequence of two 3-credit courses at the1000level, so you can take either both halves of one sequence (e.g., BIOL1000 and1001) or you can take half of each of two sequences (e.g.Chemistry1000 (3) and Biology1000 (3)). Note that the 3-credit courses may not be offered both terms, and the second in the sequence may require the first in the sequence so you must be careful in making these choices. Physics offers only 6 credit courses – there are 3 possibilities (1010,1410,and1420) – PHYS1420 – Physics with Applications to Life Sciences may be most appealing to Psychology majors.Two other things to note about these courses: (i) some of them have specific high school science requirements or math co-requisites, so check carefully before registering; (ii) all of these courses have laboratories so be sure to leave time in your schedule for both the lectures (typically 3 x 1 hr per week) and one 3hr laboratory. It is probably not a good idea to take two 3 - credit courses in this group in the same term. Nevertheless, if possible it is a good idea to complete this requirement in your first year in the program.

3) 3 credits of Computer Science – We strongly recommend you take LE/CSE1570 – Introduction to Computing for Psychology. This course was designed by the Computer Science department to address the specific computing needs of Psychology Majors. Since MATH 1505 is a prerequisite, you will have to wait until your second year to take this course.

General Education Requirements for BSc Students

To find out which courses are approved to meet the General Education requirement for your program, please visit the Faculty of Health General Education Requirements webpage. Students in the any of our BSc programs must complete a minimum of 18.0 General Education credits in total, which includes 6.0 credits at the 1000-level in each of:

(1) Humanities (HUMA).Six credits at the 1000 level in approved Faculty of Health general education or humanities categories approved by the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. These come from a wide range of programs including Canadian Studies, English, Humanities etc. The two Health Gen Eds (see below) can be used to meet the HUMA Gen Ed requirement.There is also a Writing course (AP/WRIT 1700 9.0)for those with a particular interest in improving their writing. If English is not your first language and you aren’t fully comfortable yet studying in English, consider taking one of the ESL courses on the approved course list to fulfill this requirement. You must get special permission to register in these courses. HUMA Gen Ed courses are either 6 creditor 9 credit courses–while you only need 6 HUMA credits, you are permitted to take a 9 credit course if you wish – the other 3 credits count as part of your electives.

(2) Social Sciences (SOSC).Six credits at the 1000 level in approved Faculty of Health general education or social science categories approved by the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. The Social Sciences group includes courses in Gender & Women’s Studies (WMST), Human Rights and Equity Studies (HREQ), Modes of Reasoning (MODR), and Social Sciences (SOSC). Again you need 6 credits,but many of the courses are 9 credit courses;the remaining 3 credits will count toward your electives. The two Health Gen Ed (see below) can be used to meet the SOSC Gen Ed requirement.

(3) HUMA or SOSC. Six credits at the 1000 level in approved Faculty of Health general education or humanities or social science categories approved by the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. The final 6 Gen Ed credits maybe taken from either Humanities or Social Science approved courses.Health Gen Eds – the Faculty of Health now offers two General Education courses (HH.HLST19006.0 Uncovering the Body: Interdisciplinary Perspectives; HH/IHST 10206.0 Agents of Change in a Global World). These courses may be used to fulfill any of the HUMA or the SOSC General Education requirements.

Health Gen Eds–the Faculty of Health now offers two General Education courses (HH.HLST19006.0Uncovering the Body: Interdisciplinary Perspectives; HH/IHST 10206.0Agents o fChange in a Global World). These courses may be used to fulfill either the HUMA or the SOSC General Education requirement.

Information for students with Advanced Placement Psychology or transferring from otherinstitutions

Each situation is dealt with individually, based on the nature of the Psychology training you have received in AP or in your prior college or university program. Decisions about transfer credits and course equivalence are handled through the Admissions Office after you have accepted your offer of admission. If you have taken a 6-credit introductory psychology course at another Canadian university and achieved a grade of C or better, you can safely assume that you will be exempted from PSYC 1010, but you will still have to go through the process of requesting specific transfer credits for this course. All others are considered individually on the basis of course content and grades. You will need to submit a full course outline that includes the details of the textbook used, topics covered, number of class hours, & method of evaluation. This material along with the transcript on which your grades for your prior Psychology courses are listed will be used in determining your standing with respect to PSYC 1010.